1. Field of Invention
Our oral wipe or oral wipe device is adapted to be utilized by mounting the device on a finger of a hand, such as a forefinger, and when so mounted it is then rubbed against the teeth and/or gums of the user to remove plaque and food particles from in between teeth and from a tooth surface and also from gum tissue. Our device or product is disposable and is most desirably used when the user cannot readily utilize a toothbrush and toothpaste for the purpose of oral hygiene. The device has a reinforced front edge which acts as a pick and is used to clean the area in between the teeth. The body of the device can be used to remove plaque and food particles from the teeth and gum surfaces. A length of dental floss is fixedly attached to the device and enables the user to floss the users teeth to further remove food particles from areas surrounding the teeth. In order that a user will be left with a pleasantly fresh taste after using our device, we have saturated the oral wipe device with a mouth wash type substance which can have a peppermint or spearmint flavor, as desired.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various disposable tooth cleaning devices have been known before and typical prior art devices are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,675,264; 4,292,705; 4,875,247; and 5,107,562.
The U.S. Pat. No. 3,675,264 shows the use of floss as described in columns 1 and 4 of the patent. Here, the patentee does not have the floss secured inside the dentifrice applicator at the area of the heat seal.
Another patent of interest is U.S. Pat. No. 4,292,705 where the patentee has illustrated a Tongue Toothbrush where the toothbrush is comprised of a hollow, pliable body made of thin film material to envelope an outer portion of a tongue. Mounted on the pliable body is a length of dental floss indicated at 19. The tip portion 6 of the body is utilized to massage the gums of the user. Provided on the side of the body is a storage chamber 24 where a length of dental floss thread 19 is stored. This thread is then drawn out of the storage chamber and can be attached to a lug as indicated at 18 in FIG. 5.
A further patent of interest is U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,247 where the patentee describes his disposable tooth cleaning and polishing apparatus. Here, the inventors, in column 5, discuss the idea of impregnating flexible paper material with breath freshening agents and other additives for enhancing polishing and cleaning abilities.
Another recent patent is U.S. Pat. No. 5,107,562 and this patent shows a disposable finger-mounted toothbrush where the patentee employs a flexible bag with an end of the bag having bristles, the bag being shaped for receipt of a forefinger of a user.